SOLUTION to your HP printer going offline and/or constantly disconnecting from the network

[das187]

OK, had HP4780 for 3 years now (wireless only to Netgear router). Also the 2610 for 5 years, and for the past 2 years the c309a (Photosmart AIO Premium), which has been att. to router (Netgear 3700n) via CAT5 cable.  Done tons of printer setups with HP printers, Macs, wired, wireless, Netgear earlier models and now the newer one (2yrs old). No problems with the c309a printer. The 4780, however, was fine for well over 2-1/2 years. It knows its IP on the home network is 192.168.1.25, and never forgets it, even when it disconnects. Router has it reserved at the .25 address. Read all the posts and they all seemed relevant if not identical to ours. 

The HP 4780 disconnect problems just began a few months ago, after 2-1/2 years of fine operation (requiring turning on/off; setting up again, and again, etc., just as everyone else ahs done).Tried setting it up again with EWB using both dynamic and manual IP -- no difference.

Sometimes it disconnect from network, sometimes it's connecting but won't print, says trying again in 5 seconds, then 10 seconds, etc.

HP site is useless, of course. Do everything right, completely re-set, re-install, set up again with each printer via usb and disconnect that when told. The good connection and printing we had for so long just started going to s**t a few months ago, and every fix lasts through maybe 2 print jobs -- as long as they're not too big. Then -- no deal.

The ONLY person whose experience rang a bell was the one with an HP error that made the printer disconnect from the network. We don't have that error. BUT our mystery error message, which coincides -- I'm pretty sure -- with the network disconnect problems AND particularly the failure to print problems -- says "clean ink stains from printer" , or maybe it's "...from back of printer".  There ain't none.  Done all the maintenance, cleaning, new cartridges, etc.

Nada.

Looked up the error message on HP.  Useless.

Any suggestions???? I just replenished with $200 worth of cartridges for this thing and I'm sure as h**l not getting a new one.  Don't trust HP's "wireless-only" connecting printers anyway.

Maybe I'm missing the forest for the trees???

[Caitlin56]

Hi folks

I just wanted to let you know that I tried the solution that was posted in the original, long post which involved changing the router from automatic to manual.

It didn't work. 

As the above poster says, the HP site is useless, and when I called tech support they said it might be a Microsoft problem because they send so many updates. I suspected that was true, too, becuase it "just happened" after a year of no problems at all. HP even sent me a brand new printer and it did the same thing.

Microsoft of course blamed HP, and then suggested I "undo" all their updates, try the printer each time, until I got to the state where the printer did work. That would have been about 20 updates to "undo." After I finished laughing I decided to just gave up because I was making myself crazy, and my silly heart leaped every time I saw a new posting to this thread--solutions that didn't work.

So, if I had more than one job, I would just turn off the printer after the first one, then turn it back on, and so on for each print job. Ponderous yes, but my documents got printed.

Now, after about 6 months of this behavior the printer suddenly started working for multiple documents, even if there are hours in between each job. 

My suspicion is that a new MS update has occurred, one that has corrected the problem.  At any rate, while I hate just waiting several months for something to fix itself, it sure is easier than chasing down a solution from two companies that won't take responsibility.

My .02.

Caitlin

[das187]

Caitlin, so glad to read your post. It rings SO, SO true to me.

We don't use MS but Mac. Still, updates just don't seem to be the culprit. Seems to me it's something INSIDE the dumb printer. I think they won't take responsibility because they just don't know.

Turning on and off sounds like the key to me. The key to re-setting something inside that "they" can't figure out (well, they don't make the model anymore -- why should they??)

Yes, the longer it's off, the better it works. (My wife depends on this printer, getting up over and over is a pain for her, literally, as she's physically disabled due to horrendous bone problems, but depends on lots of printing. LOTS of printing. And she seems to resent me coming in to turn it off and on again. But she's also incredibly impatient and unwilling to just consider what the technical problems and solutions might be.  Actually let her hard drive get COMPLETELY full, till it wouldn't work anymore! She's the "content" person -- "don't bother me with technical stuff." But walking into the other room to use the CAT5 connected other printer ain't so great for her either.)

SO, you say turning off after each job seemed to make a difference? Maybe leaving it off for long periods before turning on again plays a part too?

And now after 6 months of all this irritating stuff it seems to be sort of fixed?

I think I'll try that. Just turn off, leave off. Turn on to use. Turn off as often as possible.

Thanks for your observations!  I'll let you know if the success rate graph seems to be moving upward over time.

- Dave

UPDATE 2-1/2 months later:

       Doing what Caitlin did (or what she and someone else somewhere else said, or several people, all put together -- don't recall anymore, probably a couple of "experts" on the Netgear group): Went to printer's GUI through browser, changed to all manual within printer's settings (local network IP 192.168.1.25; tell it the access point/DNS -- same thing for me -- is router's IP within network, 192.168.1.1, since the access point within our own network here is the router, which also acts as a DNS for us; subnet mask whatever the router's settings are -- 255.255.255.000, or maybe it's 255.255.255.255; as long at it's ALL manual and ALL the same as the router's "static" or "reserved" info for this printer. Made sure exact same info is in router's GUI through browser, so both router (which is our access point and our DNS and essentially the thing that controls our little home network). AND our router has wireless access restricted to ONLY the machines in our network, specifying all their MAC addresses (all our computers, both printers -- even though one is connected via CAT5 cable but gave router both its wired MAC and its wireless MAC -- iPhone, iPad, anything of ours that needs the wireless router to get to internet or to each other, AND have security limited so none is locked out -- just let the router keep intruders out, and nothing in the home is an intruder, but all have access to it and therefore to each other). Check the router once in a while to see available networks (in an apt. bldg. in NYC there are a whole bunch that show up, including the cafe next door), and they all have little lock sybols next to them, except ours and maybe one other, and check router's GUI (it's a netgear 3700) to see who's connected -- and intruders would show up, and there never are any. And yes, somewhere in there I have to tell the printer a single network name, typed exactly as it shows up elsewhere, even though the router has 4 "networks" so I just use whichever it detects first which happens to be the first in the router's line of succession (network 1, 2, 3, 4, by name). So even though I, personally, connect via network 3 and this wireless printer is connected to network 1, it's via the same piece of equipment:  the router, which is the access point for all. Then I only had to turn this dumb printer off then on again once for a whole week. Then it lasted 2 weeks...in 1-1/2 months I've turned it on then off about 4 or 5 times, compared to before and after every single print job, and the frequency of it disconnecting is less and less now, more or less. So I think Caitlin got it right. But I think we all have slightly different sources of problems. Essentially, I think wireless printers are inherently flawed, and using a CAT5 or 6 cable is the only truly reliable way to go. (I've considered using a CAT5 to USB converter thing for $6, but haven't needed to yet). If the printer is wireless, it's DUMB and has to be given explicit orders. And given an an on/off cycle once in a while. So far, at least for us, it's getting better and better. Why it had problems only after 2-1/2 years: who knows? HP sure does't know, and neither does netgear. Seems we users are the only doctors on this case.

[hlap]

cannot get my wireless printer back on line model hp photosmart c4780

never had this problem before, i have even uninstalled printer and reinstalled,

[das187]

hi hlap -  For some reason your comment came through my e-mail as a reply to me. But all I can say is look through all 12 pages of replies that began in Jan 2010. That's what I did. A real pain, but there are so many variables, like your computer, operating system, the router/system, etc. The one above mine seemed most pertinent to me so I'm trying that. Didn't even bother uninstalling it. Just ran hp setup assistant again on my mac, deleted previous entries for the printer to avoid confusion -- that that multiple entries actally cause confusion; they all just seem to lead to the same printer -- and did all the things the other people said, including using a static address, going to additional settings in hp printer utility and then to EWS (embedded web server) and changing it from automatic to manual, as someone else did. But FIRST I totally did setup assistant again with a usb cable in place and selecting install for a wireless network, then at a certain point it says 'now disconnect the usb cable', and then continuing. This part seems to be the absolute key for me, though it has gone off line again many times. In this process it always asks to register printer, I always say later because it already is. This make it pause for a long time twice, first when hitting later, then when the second screen says "are you sure you want to register later" and you click later, and it pauses a long time.  If I didn't get that screen with "now disconnect the usb cable" I didn't seem to be setting it up the right way. It seems like a 2 or 3 part process: hp setup assistant, hp utility with all of its options (default seems best -- I'm no expert on this), and going to EWS where you control the printer through your network's ip address (e.g. 192.168.1.101 or whatever you select) and maybe that works best if you do it with the usb attached even though you're connecting to it wirelessly, I really have no idea.

BUT the person just above me, to whom I was replying, sounds like she found the solution. just get the settings, print them out, make sure you go through the whole deal again with the settings the way they are when it works (the ip address you want it to have in the network during both processes, the subnet mask -- 255.255.255.000 -- the prefered gateway (whatever the first person said, maybe 192.168.0.1 or .1.1), and running through whatever tasks possible: test print, etc. BUT the person above me seems to have found a solution: once it's connected, if it goes off line again, turn it off and even disconnect power so the power converter box's green light totally goes out, wait a good 15 seonds or more, and plug in again and power up if it doesn't automatically go on. She said she did that quite a few times and now she's had not problem for six months. I followed all the stuff last week (with only one computer not using it -- maybe that one introduced a problem -- I'll have to see) and the other two computers have been able to use it and it has stayed on line all this time, with only one disconnect. I know it's connected to the network if HP utility shows all its possible actions for the printer. But using usb and being willing to turn off on a regular basis may well be the key. I don't know. But all the other comments seem to give useful info. But I have read that wireless only printers have a horrible tendency to go offline. My other can do this but I have it att. to router with ethernet CAT5 cable. If worse comes to worst, I may just use a usb to ethernet converter, available at monoprice dot com, use 25 ft of cat5 cable -- cheap at monoprice and attaching the plugs is pretty easy with common small tools, you do not need a crimper -- with the ethernet to usb thing att. to the 4780 and the ethernet cat5 plugged into the router, so the printer would not really be wireless. (As my father used to say "If worse comes to worse, we're screwed.") But so far I'm at over a week, two of us are using it fine with only one power down/power up. It's a real pain, but I'm actually optimistic for the first time in months. After all, we had no problems for 2-1/2 years, even with one of us printing many large things w/multiple copies and not clearing the print cue so the printer's internal memory can just clear.

BUT read what everyone else says -- I think that's the key. Wish you luck. It SHOULD work! Eventually.

[das187]

Caitlin -- glad you posted. I've tried your approach and so far just one power down/power up in a week. I use mac, not MS, but I think maybe you're sort of re-setting all the crap in the printer's internal memory, and the longer it's totally off, with no power at all attached, the better. But I know nothing, and neither, it seems, does HP. Apple doesn't care anymore. MS never did. We're all on our own now. But after going off line after every single job, then doing the re-setup and the other suggestions, and ESPECIALLY heeding your experience, this is the best it's been. Powered of and on just once, maybe twice in a week, and it's still connected. I think of all people you found the most important key. Let's face it, HP wants us to buy new printers, not give us answers that could help us keep ones that are really working fine, right??

Thanks so much for your reply an hour after my post last week. It seems to have tied up all the others and added the one missing key.

[cclatl2009]

This can happen without warning even when PC and printer were previously working fine due to an required software update.

1. Delete Printer from the device screen off of the control panal.

2. Add printer by enabling PC to search for the printer.

3. At this point you may need to download an updated driver software which can be done simply from HP

http://www8.hp.com/us/en/support-drivers.html?pageDisplay=drivers

4. Follow the prompts to select the model and operating system you are using.

Should be good to go.  Worked for me.  Hope this helps others too.

[sonot-tech-savy]

Thanks Dr. Bob and Medic1. I know very little about computers, but with your help I was able to implement your solutions with success. I am so grateful for you expertise and willingness to contribute to these forums. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!

[sonot-tech-savy]

Medic1,

You are awesome. Thanks for taking the time to post this solution. Hallelujah, it worked!!

[mskeke]

I can't access my printer's menu tab to make the initial adjustments.  Can you help with that?